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How to Say ‘Taught for three years’ in Simplified Chinese

教了三年

jiào le sān nián

[jiāo le sān nián]

💬 Usage Tip: To say how long you did something, put the length of time after the verb and 了. For example, 学了两年 means "studied for two years".

Phrase Breakdown

教了

jiào le

taught

教 (jiāo, 1st tone) means 'to teach'. 了 (le) is neutral and shows the action is completed.

Example

他教了我中文。

He taught me Chinese.

Words in this phrase

教

jiào

[jiāo]

to teach

To instruct someone in a skill or knowledge.

Example

妈妈教我包饺子。

Mom teaches me to make dumplings.

了

le

[le]

completed action particle

Indicates a completed action or a change of state.

Example

事情终于解决了。

The matter is finally resolved.

三年

sān nián

three years

三 (sān) is high and flat, and 年 (nián) rises. Placed after the verb, it tells how long the action lasted.

Example

我等了三年。

I waited for three years.

Words in this phrase

三

sān

[sān]

three

The number 3.

Example

我有三个朋友。

I have three friends.

年

nián

[nián]

year

A period of 365 or 366 days.

Example

他出生于1980年。

He was born in the year 1980.

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